The story of our pandemic kitchens, as told through cookbooks

March 4, 2021 by
 |  4 Comments  |  Leave Comment

During 2020, cookbook sales – which were already a bright spot for publishing houses – continued their upward trend, with sales up 17 percent from the previous year. This should not surprise anyone; people have been cooking at home in numbers not seen for several generations and the inspiration well was pretty quick to run dry for all of us. So what types of cookbooks were we buying and cooking from? Kim Severson of The NY Times tells us how 2020’s cookbooks tell the story of our pandemic cooking habits.

Big names ruled the pages, as Joanna Gaines landed atop the New York Times list of the best-selling cookbooks last year with Magnolia Table, Volume 2, followed closely by Ina Garten’s Modern Comfort Food, and a newcomer to cookbooks (but not the media spotlight): “Fox & Friends” host Steve Doocy who co-wrote The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook with his wife, Kathy.

Those top-selling books are only part of the story, however. Culinary stars with multiple platforms such as Samin Nosrat, whose Netflix series attracted plenty of viewers, also did well. An air-fryer cookbook landed in the top 10 bestsellers list. Vegetarian books did well, a testament to those who wanted to eat more healthily, but baking books also sold like proverbial hotcakes, an acknowledgement that people crafted comfort during these stressful times.

Even backlist cookbooks received new attention. Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish, published by Ten Speed in 2012, became the top-selling baking book on Amazon. It now has 600,000 copies in print. One category that did not do well is a bit of a surprise – chef books were not huge sellers, despite people feeling the loss of the restaurant experience.

Category: Antipasto

Post a comment

4 Comments

  • Lepa  on  March 4, 2021

    I thought it was so interesting that the bestselling Magnolia Kitchen cookbooks are barely on my radar (and I consume so many cookbooks!) and I never see reviews or buzz around the recipes on this site. Are the books good?!?

  • Jane  on  March 5, 2021

    Darcie reported on the issue of Magnolia Table being overlooked in food media in a blog post back in early 2019. I haven’t cooked from the books myself so can’t comment on the recipes. Though Bonnie Benwick in the linked Washington Post article did comment on some recipe testing disasters.

  • lean1  on  March 5, 2021

    Samin Nosrat’s cookbook is wonderful and deserves to be a Top ten book.

    Ina Garten’s books are fun but really heavy in fat and calories.

    The other books I don’t get .

    Most cookbook writers take years to get a book out to publishers. I have talked to a few cookbook writers who liken it to a labor of love for at least two years. The other books are written by celebrities and that’s why their books are best sellers.
    My personal favs are books that challenge me to taste new things and travel without traveling, like Chaat by Maneet Chauhan, Sababa by Adeena Sussman, anything by Ottolenghi, and all the books by Milk Street Kitchen. I have learned so much from all of them and they are all keepers!

  • Fyretigger  on  March 5, 2021

    I don’t understand the James Beard Foundation’s decision to cancel entirely the 2021 awards. I hope all the cookbook authors, broadcasters and journalists that helped get us through the pandemic and the many chefs that stepped up and did outstanding humanitarian work amid the California fires, the hurricanes and the difficult winter storms will be eligible and remembered the next the time the awards actually are given, and that it is remembered that they did their work under difficult circumstances.

    A heart felt thanks to them for their hard work and making days of isolation a bit easier, and home cooked meals more interesting.

Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!

Categories

Archives